The Firing Line Forums - View Single Post - How do you deal with an aggressive political protester??

HankB · May 31, 2008, 03:55 PM

A 19-year old with a pump up sprayer he claims is filled with poison is NOT the same thing as a mischevious 10 year old with a water pistol. If someone he'd threatened and attempted to spray HAD shot him, the story strongly suggests there would have been sufficient evidence that the intended spray-ee was in reasonable fear of grave or grevious bodily harm - probably enough to justify shooting the spray-er.

This is a lot like someone approaching you with a realistic-looking gun . . . it doesn't have to be real, you only have to be reasonably sure it is real to justify action.

The legal aftermath would certainly be VERY jurisdiction-dependent.

I like the pepper-spray response.

May 31, 2008, 03:55 PM	#14
HankB Senior Member Join Date: March 30, 2000 Location: Central Texas, outside of Austin Posts: 1,698	A 19-year old with a pump up sprayer he claims is filled with poison is NOT the same thing as a mischevious 10 year old with a water pistol. If someone he'd threatened and attempted to spray HAD shot him, the story strongly suggests there would have been sufficient evidence that the intended spray-ee was in reasonable fear of grave or grevious bodily harm - probably enough to justify shooting the spray-er. This is a lot like someone approaching you with a realistic-looking gun . . . it doesn't have to be real, you only have to be reasonably sure it is real to justify action. The legal aftermath would certainly be VERY jurisdiction-dependent. I like the pepper-spray response. __________________ To be kind to your enemy is to be cruel to yourself - Sun Tzu Last edited by HankB; June 1, 2008 at 06:53 PM.